Abbott Goes Beyond Philanthropy to Fight Malnutrition in Haiti

January, 2012

Highlights:

• Abbott lends business and scientific expertise to partnership with Partners in Health (PIH), a nonprofit organization, to build a new facility to fight malnutrition in Haiti
• Facility will produce Nourimanba, a sustainable therapeutic food for severely malnourished children

• The goal is to create a self-sustaining, all-Haitian business

Abbott and the Abbott Fund, the company's philanthropic organization, are teaming up with nonprofit organization Partners in Health (PIH) to build a state-of-the-art facility to produce Nourimanba, a sustainable, peanut-based, ready-to-use therapeutic food for the treatment of severe malnutrition in children.

The new plant will improve and expand the production of Nourimanba, and the project is expected to improve local nutrition and stimulate Haiti’s economy. The facility will begin operating by the end of 2012.

Longer-term, the facility will also produce non-medical food products like peanut butter, which can be sold to support the facility's continued production, and support free distribution of Nourimanba to children in need.

Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world, with 80 percent of the population living in poverty. The devastating earthquake in 2010 drew the world’s attention to the many challenges facing Haiti, including malnutrition. One in three children in Haiti suffer from malnutrition.

Nourimanba

Nourimanba is in a class of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) that deliver high-quality nutrition to help children recover from severe malnutrition, and even thrive. RUTFs have been used for several years around the world by non-governmental organizations such as PIH.

The ready-to-use, high-calorie, peanut butter-like paste is composed of peanuts, milk powder, vitamins and minerals, and requires no preparation or mixing with clean water, which can be difficult to find in impoverished regions and nations such as Haiti. Because it is ready-to-use, Nourimanba allows parents to feed their children at home, potentially avoiding hospital stays. Nourimanba can be stored safely for months, due to its low-water content.

"It's a very simple recipe that literally saves children from starvation," said Dan Schmitz, Director, Abbott. "A child that is admitted to the clinic with severe malnutrition is put on an eight-week Nourimanba regimen."

Abbott's Work in Haiti

Abbott and the Abbott Fund's partnership with PIH is part of Abbott’s broader work to expand access to health care in Haiti. Since 2007, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have provided more than $55 million in grants and product donations to help address critical health needs in Haiti, including maternal and child health, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition.

• Read more about Abbott's work in Haiti.
• Visit Partners In Health to learn more about this organization, their work in Haiti and commitments to other projects around the world.
• Learn more about the Abbott Fund

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